Recently updated on January 9th, 2023 at 11:06 pm
Are you considering investing in CRM software? Awesome! But the question shouldn’t be whether to buy a CRM system or not. Instead, it should be how much value you stand to gain from it. And this can vary by the cost of the CRM and the features it offers. So, how much does CRM software cost on average?
The truth is there are over 700 different CRM software solutions in the market today, all with vastly varying pricing and features. To help you choose, we have compiled a detailed price comparison for the top CRM software available. Read on.
How much does CRM cost?
For small businesses, CRM software can cost anything from $8 to $49 per user per month. Larger enterprises may pay $99 to $150 per user per month for more advanced CRM features. Multiply that base price by the number of users on your team to know how much you’ll pay per month. You’ll get a discount when billed annually (as is most often the case).
There is a price disparity among CRM software solutions because no two CRM systems are identical. They are built differently with different features and sophistication, so their pricing is based on different metrics.
Note that most CRM providers will require you to purchase a minimum number of user licenses, ranging from 2-20 users.
Some CRM vendors offer free trials and free plans, which are highly limited in features but can help you get a feel of how the software works. A basic package is also limited; we do not recommend it for growing sales teams.
In this CRM software pricing review, we highlight the price of basic packages up to full-feature packages and a brief overview to help you compare which offers more value to your business.
CRM vendors compared by price
How much does Monday.com cost?
Monday.com CRM costs $8-$16 per user per month, billed annually. You can pay monthly, but the price is a bit higher.
- A free plan is available for up to two users.
- Basic: $8 per user per month ($10 when billed monthly)
- Standard: $10 per user per month ($14 when billed monthly)
- Pro: $16 per user per month ($20 when billed monthly)
- Enterprise: Contact the vendor for a custom quote
Monday.com’s basic plan comes with a mobile app for both Android and iOS, but you’ll be better off with the standard plan. This plan includes advanced search functionality, timeline and calendar views, and up to 250 integration. Moreover, the price difference between the basic and standard plans is just $2 per user per month. Monday.com is very budget-friendly, so you won’t be breaking the bank whichever plan you go for.
How much does HubSpot CRM cost?
HubSpot is free forever for unlimited users and up to 1 million contacts. Paid plans for added functionality cost $23-$120 per user per month.
Sales hub
- Free: $0/month
- Starter: $23/user/month
- Professional: $90/user/month
- Enterprise: $120/user/month
Marketing hub
- Free: $0/month
- Starter: Starting at $45/month
- Professional: Starting at $800/month
- Enterprise: Starting at $3,600 per month
CRM Suite (Marketing + sales + service + CMS + operations hubs)
- Starter: $25/user/month
- Professional: $100/user/month
- Enterprise: $120/user/month
HubSpot is one of the best CRM solutions in the market, as it’s 100% free. Many businesses move their sales data to HubSpot because of that.
HubSpot CRM is intuitive and comes with many features, and the free version has all the essential ones a small business needs.
However, you’ll need more advanced CRM software features as your business grows. Sadly, HubSpot CRM professional and enterprise plans are way more expensive and cumbersome than any other CRM system on this list besides Salesforce.
How much does Salesforce CRM cost?
Salesforce CRM price starts at $25 up to $300 per user per month, billed annually.
- Free plan: No
- Essentials: $25 per user per month
- Professional: $75 per user per month
- Enterprise: $150 per user per month
- Unlimited: $300 per user per month
- A free trial is available for all the plans
Salesforce is usually named among the best CRM software in the market, and that’s not surprising as it can easily crank up the productivity of sales teams. In addition, it has mobile apps for Android and iOS to help users stay up to date.
Features include workflow automation, task management, and vast integration.
However, Salesforce is the most expensive CRM, with a steep learning curve. Not great for small and mid-sized businesses.
How much does Insightly cost?
Insightly CRM costs $29-$99.
- Free plan: Insightly is free for up to two users.
- Plus: $29 per user per month
- Professional: $49 per user per month
- Enterprise: $99 per user per month
- All plans are billed annually.
Insightly is one of the leading CRM providers in the market. It has a 14-day free trial, so any business can take it for a test drive to see if the CRM software works for their needs. Its impressive ease of use has made it very popular among small businesses. The free trial offers all the essential features a small business might need.
How much does Less Annoying CRM cost?
Less Annoying CRM costs $15 per user per month; just a single package gives you all you need. You can contact the vendor if you require more advanced features. There’s a whooping 30-day free trial period.
Less Annoying CRM is designed to be exactly what the name implies, a simplistic system that you wouldn’t have to stress yourself over. It is very easy to use, offers free support, and comes with straightforward pricing. No headache deciding what plan to choose or sacrificing some specific CRM features.
Nothing about this CRM software is complicated or overwhelming, and it’s just the perfect CRM tool for small businesses. You can customize it however you deem fit for your business needs.
How much does Zoho CRM cost?
Zoho CRM pricing starts at $12-$45 per user per month when billed annually. You can pay monthly, although you’ll get to pay more.
- Free plan: Zoho is free for up to three users.
- Standard: $12 per user per month ($18 when billed monthly)
- Professional: $20 per user per month ($30 when billed monthly)
- Enterprise: $35 per user per month ($45 when billed monthly)
- Ultimate: $45 per user per month ($55 when billed monthly)
Although Zoho is one of the most affordable CRM solutions out there, it competes very strongly even with the most expensive software. Although you won’t find the interface the most appealing, it doesn’t lag in functionality.
How much does Freshsales cost?
Freshsales costs $15-$69, billed annually. The monthly fees cost a bit more.
- Free plan: Yes
- Growth: $15 per user per month ($18 when billed monthly)
- Pro: $39 per user per month ($47 when billed monthly)
- Enterprise: $69 per user per month ($83 when billed monthly).
Freshsales has swiftly become one of the most popular CRM systems focused on boosting sales. It is an AI-based tech spotting impressive sales management features.
Freshsales is perfect for SMBs as it’s affordable and easy to use right off the bat. On the downside, it doesn’t offer many third-party integrations.
How much does Pipedrive cost?
Pipedrive costs from $9.90 to $59.90 per user per month, billed annually.
- Free plan: No
- Essential: $9.90 per user per month ($11.90 when billed monthly)
- Advanced: $19.90 per user per month ($24.90 when billed monthly)
- Professional: $39.90 per user per month ($49.90 when billed monthly).
- Enterprise: 59.90 per user per month ($74.90 when billed monthly).
A free 14-day trial is available for all plans.
With a starting price of $9.90/user/month, Pipedrive is a highly affordable CRM software for SMBs. If you sell high-priced products and are looking to guide prospects into loyal customers, this CRM’s comprehensive lead management feature will work well for your sales funnel.
On the flip side, Pipedrive is not so customizable and may be unsuitable for niche businesses.
How much does SugarCRM cost?
SugarCRM pricing starts at $49, $80, and $1,000 for different plans.
- Sugar Sell: starts at $49 per user per month (3 users minimum), billed annually
- Sugar Market: starts at $1000 per month for 10k contacts, billed annually
- Sugar Serve: starts at $80 per user per month (3 users minimum), billed annually
- Sugar Enterprise (an On-premise CRM that gives you full control): starts at $85 per user per month, billed annually.
Most startup businesses would find SugarCRM very user-friendly as it can be easily customized to suit the structure and workflow of the organization. The three pricing plans are tailored for three kinds of users: sales teams (Sugar Sell), marketing teams (Sugar Market), and customer support (Sugar Serve).
How much does Zendesk cost?
Zendesk’s price ranges from $19 to $99 per user per month
- Free plan: no
- Zendesk Sell Team: $19 per user per month
- Zendesk Growth: $49 per user per month
- Zendesk Sell Professional: $99 per user per month
All plans are billed annually.
Although not offering any marketing features, Zendesk is an excellent solution for sales and support departments. Zendesk Sell — for sales teams — starts at $19 per user per month, while Zendesk Support starts at an amazingly low price of $5 per user per month. When you upgrade to Zendesk Growth at $49 per user per month, you get access to reporting dashboards, sales forecasting, and advanced call analytics.
How much does Nimble cost?
Nimble offers a single paid package — Nimble Business — which costs $19 per user per month billed annually or $25 per user per month when billed monthly. Take a test drive with the free trial.
Nimble allows you to unify all your social communications in one place. The CRM also offers social listening to enable you to discover what people are saying about your business.
Nimble is a pretty affordable CRM, with its full-feature plan starting at only $19 per user per month, billed annually. This basic plan offers the essential features a small business might need. There’s no free plan, though.
How much does Sage CRM cost?
Sage Cloud-based CRM costs $39 per user per month. Contact the vendor for a custom quote if you prefer the On-Premise version.
Sage CRM is designed for small and mid-sized businesses. It has a free trial but no free plan. With Sage integrated marketing, you can obtain valuable insights and view customer activity while automating many business processes.
How much does Nutshell cost?
Nutshell’s price ranges from $16 to $42 per user per month
- Free plan: No
- Basic plan: $16/user/month, billed annually.
- Pro plan: $42/user/month, billed annually.
If you’re paying monthly, the plans will cost $19/user/month and $49/user/month, respectively.
Nutshell is customer relationship management software specifically designed for small businesses. It’s relatively easy to set up and implement, not to mention its remarkable affordability. Download the app on iOS and Android to get updates in real-time.
CRM costs by company size
The average cost of CRM purchase and implementation will depend on the number of users. So if a single user pays $20/month and your sales team is made up of 5 employees, you will be spending about $100 monthly ($20 x 5 user licenses).
A small business with fewer team members will spend far less than an enterprise organization with a larger team size due to the number of user licenses purchased.
CRM cost for small businesses
- Less than 20 users
- Between $10,000 and $18,000
CRM cost for Mid-sized businesses
- 21-100 users
- Between $25,000 and $150,000
CRM cost for enterprises
- Over 100 users
- Above $150,000
Most Small businesses are fine with the CRM system’s basics and don’t spend so much on customization. On the other hand, most enterprise companies will spend well into six figures customizing their CRM to get the most out of the software.
Typically, a company with 10 user licenses will spend between $5,500 and $12,000 annually on CRM. You will spend less if you go for the basic plan.
Key features of CRM tools
- Contact management
- Opportunity management
- Customer data management
- Lead management
- Interaction tracking
- Email integration
- Sales forecasting
- Account management
- Pipeline analysis
- Quotes/proposal management
- Reporting
- Marketing Analytics
- Marketing automation
- Workflow automation
Cost of legacy CRMs
Most people are drawn toward the big names in the industry with the assumption that they offer more sophistication and reliability. But one thing you must note when subscribing to a CRM system is that the quantity of features is not synonymous with its usefulness.
Small businesses with fewer requirements will easily get overwhelmed by too many features. The learning curve will be steeper, and many features will be left unused. In the end, you may be overpaying but underusing that big-name platform.
Popular legacy systems are not always the best bet for all business types. They usually require a tech-savvy team to implement the software, and several third-party products may be integrated to reach full functionality.
Moreover, a legacy system will usually keep the juicy features locked behind the premium plans. On the other hand, less popular CRM providers usually offer more at a lower price point to gain a competitive advantage.
How much does it cost to implement a new CRM system?
CRM doesn’t always end with a monthly or annual subscription. You may be hit with hidden costs after purchase, especially for complex and expensive CRMs. Depending on your business size and the level of sophistication you require, you may need to spend on:
- Planning
There are many things you may not know regarding CRM implementation. For instance, what integrations and customizations can help boost the software’s value to your team? You may need to hire an expert, such as a consultant, for proper planning to answer such questions. However, if your business requirements are basic, you most likely wouldn’t need a planning phase at all.
- Setup
Depending on the complexity of the CRM, you may spend an additional $5,000-$15,000 for setup.
- Configuration
This technical aspect may require developers and can cost anything from $5,000 to $10,000.
- Training
The cost of CRM training will vary by the number of classes and team members being trained. For an intuitive CRM, little or no formal training will be required, reducing the overall cost of CRM implementation.
- Integrations and third-party add-ons
Want your CRM system to do more? Then consider purchasing third-party applications and integrating the software with other compatible tools to enhance capabilities for things like project management and commission tracking.
CRM pricing models
CRM systems come in different pricing models. While some charge a monthly or annual subscription, others have a flat fee. Some even charge monthly or yearly retainers and recurring subscription fees.
Fixed subscriptions
Generally, CRMs are priced per user per month. So you have to multiply the base price by the number of users on your team to determine the actual CRM cost for your company.
There’s usually an option to pay the sum yearly to obtain a discount on the per-month rate. For instance, the Freshsales base plan costs $18/user/month when billed monthly. That reduces to only $15/user/month when you subscribe for a year.
Still taking Freshsales as a case study,
The Growth plan costing $15/user/month, is equipped with just enough features to serve small (growing businesses).
The Pro plan costing $39/user/month, offers additional features to the Growth plan to make it suitable for mid-sized businesses.
The Enterprise plan, which is the most expensive at $69/user/month, is centered on large enterprises. It offers more advanced features than the preceding plans.
Quote-based pricing
Some CRM vendors ask you to contact them to get a custom quote. While many people shy away from that, assuming they will be hit by a heavy price, that’s often not the case. On the contrary, quote-based pricing tends to favor some businesses because they get the chance to negotiate.
If the vendor doesn’t publicize, their price can also mean they are ready to compromise and help startups.
Single payment pricing
Single-payment pricing is usually for on-premise (in-house) CRM suites used by large enterprises with several self-developed software solutions. They have more unique needs, so an on-premise CRM platform will come with almost unlimited customization so it can be tweaked to the brand’s specifications.
You will only need to purchase one user license once and for all, and pricing may start at $1,000, depending on the functionality and reputation of the vendor. Some vendors require an annual renewal, but the renewal fee (around $200-$800) will cost much less than the license.
Which CRM provider is right for your business?
Although there are many options with different prices, choosing the simplest CRM software is usually the best and cheapest, especially for SMBs. This is because setup, implementation, and integration are costly, complicated, and time-consuming. With a simple CRM platform, you won’t have to go through all that.
The most expensive CRM may confuse you if you buy but cannot adapt it to your unique needs. Therefore, it isn’t improving your business, resulting in a waste of resources.
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